


The Sanguine Seduction Of Scarlet Sinclair

by LandOfMistAndSecrets



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Awkward Roleplaying, F/F, Kanaya is trying, Post-Canon, RoseMarried, pesterlogs, she's trying so hard
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-29
Updated: 2017-07-29
Packaged: 2018-12-08 08:42:21
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,017
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11642967
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LandOfMistAndSecrets/pseuds/LandOfMistAndSecrets
Summary: "I've been reading about vampires," Rose said, in a neat, clipped tone that absolutely meant that if Kanaya wanted to know more, she'd have to ask. And she did want to know."Vampires," Kanaya repeated.  "What kind of vampires," she asked. Probably not the kinds who lived in human burial hulls and turned into flying squeakbeasts to get around.Probably."Oh, you know," Rose waved a hand, "The alluring kind."Kanaya wrinkled her nose. "Alluring," she said. Rose caught the disbelieving tone in her voice and snorted at her, then lifted the book with a roll of her eyes so Kanaya could see the cover.And -- oh, dear.Itwasa bit alluring.





	The Sanguine Seduction Of Scarlet Sinclair

**Author's Note:**

  * For [HeinousActsZX](https://archiveofourown.org/users/HeinousActsZX/gifts).



> Thank you so much for the excellent request!!! I hope everyone has as much fun reading this as I did writing it.

Kanaya stood in the dimly lit bedroom she shared with Rose, peeking narrow-eyed through the crack of the barely open door. The hall was empty, the sitting room beyond was quiet, and she was reasonably sure that her wife was not following her to bed. No footfalls followed her, no rustled movements, no lights flicked off to signal that Rose had picked up on her deception and was on her way at this very moment to join her in this very room. 

This was good. This was ideal. 

She shut the door softly and spun around, grim-faced, features set. She had work to do: a scene to set, a character to play, and a wife to -- hopefully -- impress with her most devious machinations. 

Instead of bothering with the light, she tapped the power within her to suffuse her own skin with a bright, fluorescent glow. Harsh and practical, all business. She was getting very good at controlling that... in _most_ situations. She hurried to the closet, dropped to her knees, and began to dig out all the various items she'd need to enact her nefarious will upon this night. She quirked a crooked smirk as she did so. _Enact her nefarious will upon this night,_ perfect, exactly something Rose would want her to say. She would have to remember that. 

First, the costume. She pressed her fangs against her bottom lip, sliding them thoughtfully over the skin -- carefully. They were quite sharp, after all, and she had absolutely no appetite for the taste of her own blood. Lucky, that. How could she have possibly resisted the temptation of it, otherwise? 

No. Focus. No blood. Costume.

She shook herself, dug deep enough into the bottom layer of their shared closet that the entire top half of her body disappeared behind a soft wall of hung clothing, and grunted with effort as she dragged the chest she was after out. She cast a furtive look over her shoulder before opening it. Still no Rose. Good. 

Kanaya's costume lay folded neatly on the top. She lifted it up and eyed it critically, the distracting beat of her bloodpusher quickening perceptibly as she considered it. Black and crimson were the traditional colors, most sources had agreed, and Kanaya had wanted this to be as traditional an encounter as possible. Black brocade over bold red taffeta, dyed just a shade darker than the hue of human blood. Lace across the plunging neckline, cut to show off, and ruffles down the half-length sleeves. She could feel herself blushing just looking at it. It was excessive. It was, she hoped, beautiful.

She took a deep breath. She had taken some liberties, but Rose would like it anyway, wouldn't she? 

Of course she would. 

She exhaled explosively and shoved her fluttering nerves aside, disrobing herself and beginning the laborious process that was outfitting herself in her newest creation. And if the hard light her skin gave off flickered now and then with nerves, so what? Better to get that out of the way now, because soon enough she would have to be absolutely fearless, and undeniably _fierce._

Only the best, for Rose. 

* 

It had started with a book, of course. 

Most things with Rose did. She'd been sitting cross-legged in a recliner, still wearing yesterday's pajamas. Her hair was unbrushed, hanging over her ears, and her back and shoulders were hunched over the book lying open in her lap. She held it balanced between her knees, so expertly. Her tongue had been poking out, ever so slightly. Occasionally, Rose would lift a finger to her lips, run her tongue over the tip, and use it to turn the page. Watching this happen was... affecting. Very, very affecting.

It would have embarrassed Rose to know just how long Kanaya had stared at her this way, peeking out over her worktable, the steady _hum_ of her automated needle apparatus filling the space around them. The fabric lay long since put aside and the needle bobbed up and down in pointless rhythm, stabbing at nothing. It was pointless to even try and make progress on pet projects when her human wife was so nearby and so unintentionally distracting, so she simply watched Rose read.

Eventually, she noticed. Mostly because the needle apparatus hit some sort of auto shutdown failsafe and wound down into whirring silence. Rose lifted her head, bangs falling just a bit too far over her eyes, and blinked at her. 

"All done for the evening?" she asked, her gaze switching rapid-fire between the empty machine and Kanaya's increasingly jade-tinged face. Her eyebrows shot up. "Kanaya?" 

"Yes," Kanaya managed, only her voice came out in a breathy, telltale sort of squeak. Fuck. 

"It doesn't seem like you made much progress." It was maddening how Rose could laugh at her without _laughing._ Kanaya reached for the discarded fabric, unbalanced herself on her stool, and nearly toppled right over. She caught herself on the table just in time, swore vehemently under her breath, and shot to her feet. Rose's implied laughter became actual laughter, which was much better, even if it was at her expense. 

"I was just thinking," Kanaya said, determined to turn this thus far extremely one-sided match around, "you're very distracting when you're busy with something you're passionate about." 

"Distracting," Rose repeated, in a tone that was theatrically disaffected, but that was mostly bullshit because Kanaya could see the way her cheeks bloomed with spots of color, and that was very, very satisfying. She smirked. "Ah. So I'm to blame for your lack of productivity, tonight." 

"Yes, absolutely. You and your, well." Kanaya's smirk dropped into an expression she was reasonably sure could be interpreted as alluring, and she mimicked Rose's page-turning gesture, licking her fingertips and dragging them lightly across the workbench as though she were turning a few pages, herself. She saw Rose inhale, sharply. Victory. 

"I didn't realize you were watching," she said. 

"I really do have to wonder just what is in that book," Kanaya heard herself say, sounding vaguely mystified. Wait, shit. That wasn't the direction she'd meant to take this in. She was just so _curious._

Rose tilted her head at her, and slowly, her lips curved into a dangerous, devious grin. Oh dear. Someone thought she was on track to regain the upper hand, and judging from her expression, she was probably right. Kanaya could feel her cheeks warming again, which was really unfair, because she had been married to this woman long enough to have been on the receiving end of the full weight of Rose Lalonde at her most deviously charming many times over. She ought to have built up some resistance, by now. But no. 

"I've been reading about vampires," Rose said, in a neat, clipped tone that absolutely meant that if Kanaya wanted to know more, she'd have to ask. And she did want to know. 

"Vampires," Kanaya repeated. She knew _of_ them, of course. Rose had explained their mythology, and even if she hadn't, the numerous comparisons her own status as a rainbow drinker often drew from the other humans would have prompted her to look them up long ago. They had never sounded particularly alluring. Mostly unpleasant, really. "What kind of vampires," she asked. Probably not the kinds who lived in human burial hulls and turned into flying squeakbeasts to get around. 

Probably. 

"Oh, you know," Rose waved a hand, "The alluring kind." 

Kanaya wrinkled her nose. "Alluring," she said. Rose caught the disbelieving tone in her voice and snorted at her, then lifted the book with a roll of her eyes so Kanaya could see the cover. 

And -- oh, dear. 

It _was_ a bit alluring. 

A tall woman outfitted in an overdramatic but strangely appealing ensemble of red ruffled skirts and tight, brocaded bodice held a second, smaller woman draped bonelessly in her arms. The tall woman wore a ridiculous antiquated hat and her eyes burned red behind a veil of black lace. Her fangs were long -- unrealistically so, really -- and dripping with the blood of the waif caught in her embrace. The latter's rumblespheres were all but exposed, her bodice torn carelessly open, and a still-dripping bite marked the skin of one smooth sphere. _MIDNIGHT'S MISTRESS,_ the title declared, and Kanaya found herself frustrated not for the first time by how pithy and useless and totally nondescriptive human titling traditions were. Karkat's books had much better titles. They really gave you a sense of what you were in for. 

Still. 

"I see," she said, when she realized that Rose was staring at her, eyebrows arched, awaiting a response. 

"Do you?" Rose was practically purring. Kanaya swallowed, hard. 

"Rose," she said, and she could hear the pleading in her own voice. Damn. "This conversation is very interesting, and I would love to continue it, but I think I'm having a problem." 

A wrinkle formed between Rose's eyebrows. "A problem?"

"Yes." Kanaya stood. "The problem is that if I don't ravish you immediately, I feel I might actually spontaneously combust." 

"That sounds very messy," Rose said, setting the book aside. She unfolded her legs and smoothed her pajama robe down her thighs. Kanaya knew her well enough to know it was a vulnerable sort of gesture. 

"Horribly messy," Kanaya agreed, standing over the recliner. Rose blinked up at her. It was still startling sometimes, how beautiful she was. 

"Messy can be fun," Rose suggested, and Kanaya bit her lip nearly hard enough to break the skin. 

The recliner hadn't survived that... particular encounter, but the book had. Kanaya could remember all too clearly how the salacious cover had caught her eye, even while she was bent over with her wife's hips pushing up against hers, her hands full of certain soft parts of her, Rose's low, throaty laughter heating Kanaya thoroughly to her core. The Midnight Mistress and her fangs, glinting shamelessly on polished laminate, dripping intoxicating human red. 

"We'll talk about it later," Rose had admonished her, reaching up and pinching her chin between her fingers, drawing her focus and her mouth back down to far more useful places. 

Yes, it had most definitely all started with that damn distracting book. 

* 

Kanaya eyed herself critically in the mirror, swishing her hips, bending this way and that, watching the way the fabric moved. Still no sound from the sitting room. If Kanaya had wanted it, Rose could have adopted the troll nocturnal cycle with ease -- her hours naturally seemed more troll than human, most days. She'd planned to catch her here on her way in. To spring on her as she stepped in bleary-eyed and off her guard, to whisk her up in her arms and off her feet. 

That was the ideal, at least. Rarely did her best intentions actually turn out. But she was trying, damn it. 

The dress was excessive. Rose was going to laugh. God, the dress was the _least_ of what she was going to laugh at. This had been a mistake. 

She was too far in, now. No second guessing. 

She considered her options. Waiting for Rose was turning into a less attractive prospect by the second. She'd tried to be obvious about faking her yawns, putting on an over the top display of feigned exhaustion in the hopes that Rose's suspicion would prompt her to follow quickly. Instead, maybe she'd had the opposite effect? Either Rose thought she was actually exhausted and was letting her be, or Rose thought she had been faking for some horribly wrong reason and was giving her space. Damn her sudden misplaced yet touching discretion. 

Kanaya straightened her shoulders, took a deep breath, and decided. 

She wasn't a rainbow drinker, tonight. She was a _vampire._ And vampires _hunted_ their victims. 

She imagined it; sneaking up behind Rose, catching her unaware. Overpowering her with supernatural strength. The way her eyes would widen, more beautiful than anything the hemospectrum had to offer, the way her lips would part as she realized tonight was _the_ night. She'd play along. She had to. She'd agreed to this, too. 

Shaking off her nerves, Kanaya spun and strode purposely for the door. 

And stepped directly into her own ruffled skirts, longer than she was used to wearing, and nearly stumbled head over heels. As it was, she staggered over herself, winced as she heard something in the layers of rich fabric tear, and caught herself inelegantly on the corner of the dresser. The noise it made was a horribly loud _thunk_ that shook the walls. 

She held her breath. 

"Kanaya?" Rose's voice, wafting in from the sitting room. "Is everything all right?" 

Shit.

She opened her mouth. What to say? Her prey was on alert, now. She'd have to call the whole thing off. Footsteps in the hall. _Shit._

She did the only thing she could think of -- she whirled around and dove back into the closet, skirts poofing up and practically smothering her. She wriggled in deep behind the racks of hanging clothes, shut her glow off completely, sucked in a breath, and held it. 

* 

"These stories are not what I've come to expect from vampires," Kanaya had said, tucked in close to Rose's side. The sun would have been high and brilliant in the sky, by then, but she had been indulging her wife's propensity for drawing their heavy curtains and blocking it out for as long as possible. Rose preferred candlelight and the soft glow of the moon... or, well. Her wife. Kanaya was glowing, providing the light that Rose was reading by. 

Rose had laughed. "No, I expect not. Most vampire stories are played heavy on the horror, aren't they? The romance is secondary, or mostly meant to enhance said horror." She tapped the page, knowingly. "Cassandra's breath hitched with something that couldn't possibly have been... desire? _No._ How could she look forward to the cold touch of her mistress? How could the taste of her still linger so appealing on her lips, her tongue? That taste, tinged so with the copper flavor of her own life's blood?" Rose let out a low, throaty chuckle, the sort of sound she made when she was purposely trying to be flirty and affecting. It worked, of course. Kanaya sighed. 

"It's true," she said, and Rose raised an eyebrow at her. 

"What is?" 

"The taste of your _own_ blood is usually not very appealing." 

Rose laughed, snapped the book shut, and squirmed around to face her. They were cuddled together in a pile of blankets and sheets, atop the human concupiscent platform Kanaya had long ago adopted over her abandoned recuperacoon. "Are you enjoying the story?"

"Yes," Kanaya said, emphatically. "It would seem I've only been told the less appealing side of the vampire story until very recently." 

"I can guess who I have to blame for that," Rose smirked. 

"Several people." 

"Some more than others, though." 

"Well... yes." 

Rose had sighed, then. Set the book aside. "If you've decided that you like them after all, I've been toying with an... idea." 

"An idea," Kanaya had said, suddenly mesmerized by her low, liquid tone. Her half-smirking expression, eyes lidded and full of calculated _intent._ God, she loved Rose at her more seductively devious. She would have agreed to anything, if it meant that Rose would keep looking at her like that.

"A scenario, let's call it," Rose had begun, and by the time she'd finished, Kanaya's eyes had gone very wide, and her cheeks, very green. 

Rose let the offer marinate between them for exactly three second before following up with an impatient, "Well?" Her hands were fluttering over the blankets. She was nervous. Worried Kanaya would say no, maybe, but more likely, worried Kanaya would judge her for proposing the idea in the first place. 

"Well!" Kanaya had said, sounding slightly strangled. "I can't promise I'll be the most effective in the role you've invented for me." 

"Oh, stop." Rose nudged her with her chin. "You're absolutely capable of untold feats of ravishment, and you know this." 

"Well," Kanaya said. "If anyone could call themselves an expert on my ravishment potential, it would have to be you." 

"So you defer to my learned opinion." 

"That seems to be the safest option." 

"Oh, undoubtedly. But is idea you are deferring so demurely to something that you might actually _want?_ " Rose peered up at her, something strangely unguarded in her expression, and Kanaya reached down and took her face in her hands and was kissing her before her think pan even had time to process the route between the idea and its execution. Rose made a surprised sound, but she kissed back. Thoroughly. 

They had broken apart, eventually, breathing hard. 

"Yes," Kanaya had said. 

And Rose had nodded, once, and smiled, before reaching over and smothering the moment in more of what her wonderful books would have referred to as "searing kisses." 

* 

"Kanaya?" 

Rose was in the room, now, her socked feet whispering on the plush carpet she'd insisted upon when they had built this hive. Pacing. Searching. Kanaya's breath sacs were about to burst. huddled here inside the closet like some misbehaving wiggler hiding from her lusus. 

"Kanaya." Rose sounded ... not worried, exactly. Curious. "Hmm." A thoughtful sound. _Just go,_ Kanaya thought, desperately. She needed to breathe. She was going to die. Vampires did not behave this way. Vampires were suave and elegant and always flawlessly executed their nefarious plots. 

More soft footfalls. The gentle click of the bedroom door. 

Kanaya let out her breath in a great _whoosh_ so loud she worried Rose might hear it from the hall. She sucked air back in greedily, rubbing her eyes and willing the dark spots at the edge of her vision to go away. _This_ was off to a promising start, wasn't it? 

When she had her breath again, she climbed out from behind the clothes and stood, mournfully examining the wrinkles that now marred her rich red skirts. Hopefully Rose would be too busy being ravished to notice. Though, it would be difficult to sneak up on her, now. She would be on high alert, aware that _something_ was going on, something involving Kanaya specifically. Should she wait? Give her some time to relax, again? No. The longer she waited, the greater Rose's curiosity would be, and nothing good could come of that. If she still had any chance of catching her off guard, it was dwindling fast. 

She straightened her skirts, lifted her chin and strode out of the closet, determined to hunt down her wife. 

Her wife, who was sitting cross-legged on the edge of the bed, smirking at her. 

"Well, well," Rose said, sweeping her eyes over Kanaya appreciatively. She had one eyebrow quirked, her lips tucked into a withering smirk. "Is this the secret surprise you've been laboring over for weeks?" 

Kanaya stood frozen to the spot, eyes wide, fingers flying to the low cut of her laced bodice. Then she remembered that was typically what the _victim_ in these encounters did, not the vampire. What the hell was Rose talking about? "What are you talking about," she voiced aloud, stupidly. 

"The _dress?_ I've never seen it before." 

"Oh." Obviously. 

Rose tilted her head. 

This was a disaster. 

Kanaya shut her eyes. "I thought it might be something a vampire would wear," she explained, talking too fast. Now that the entire thing was ruined, she felt compelled to explain. She was blushing, again. "I didn't want to copy the outfit from your books, so I tried for something derivative, instead. It's probably too much. It's not very practical. I think I tore an underskirt, already. A vampire would never tear her underskirts. Or trip in general. Or hide in a closet, probably. I think I might be a very unimpressive vampire, Rose. I'm very sorry." 

"Oh my god." Rose sounded vaguely like she was choking. Kanaya opened her eyes. Rose had one hand over her mouth, and she'd uncrossed her legs and was now just sitting on the edge of the bed, leaning forward. Her eyes were very wide. "Oh my _god._ That was tonight? I don't remember setting a date, for..." she trailed off. She slapped her palm to her forehead. "You were trying to surprise me." 

"Yes." 

"Good god." 

"It wasn't a very good plan. I should have predicted this. Well, I sort of did. I didn't predict that you would beat me before I'd actually even begun." 

"I'm a fucking idiot," Rose groaned, leaning over even further, so her face was nearly touching her knees. "God _damn_ it." 

"And I am... confused," Kanaya said, quite sincerely. 

Rose sat up. Looked her over again. "When I suggested this saucy little roleplay, for some reason I just assumed we would mutually set a date for it. I intended to dress up, too. Script out some scenarios. I -- had a very different idea than you, apparently." 

"Shit," Kanaya said. She should have known. 

"No, I like your way better." Rose sighed. Her eyes fluttered shut. "Much, much better." 

"Oh." Well, that was nice. "I could try again another time," she offered. 

Rose opened her eyes. Took a deep breath. "Give me ten minutes?" 

"Ten -- _Rose._ I meant I could try again another night! One where I can catch you unawares! Like your Midnight Mistress always does with her victims." 

"Yes. Well. No." Rose stood up. Kanaya took a step back. "I'm afraid that won't be possible." 

"You don't think so?" 

"Absolutely not. You see, now that I know this was your plan all along, I am going to think of _nothing else_ until it's done. How are you going to catch me off guard when I won't be able to stop anticipating it?" 

"That _is_ a problem," Kanaya conceded, hesitantly. She felt very warm all of a sudden, and not the vaguely unpleasant embarrassed kind of warm, either. Rose liked her idea. That was very, very nice. 

"So. Give me ten minutes, and I promise I'll be very convincing." 

Kanaya thought about it for all of three seconds. 

"Ten minutes," she agreed, nodding. 

How could she possibly refuse Rose, when she looked at her like that? And besides, she was already dressed for the part. It seemed wasteful not to put the ensemble to good use. Rose grinned at her, eyes positively sparking, and jumped up to her feet. 

"You won't be disappointed," she promised, and then she whisked her way out, shutting the door behind her. 

A fresh wave of nerves clawed its way through the warmth spreading through Kanaya's middle. _I really hope you won't be, either._

* 

It had been difficult to find the time to work on the outfit. 

She and Rose rarely spent much time apart. This was a situation which normally suited just fine... but wiggling days were sometimes difficult. Twelfth Perigee's Eve could be nightmarish to prepare for, given the new traditions the humans had added on to the day. Random acts of spontaneous affection were not quite so hard to handle, but still not easy. A solid medium. Karkat insisted they were crucial to the healthy functioning of any and all long term romantic commitments, so Kanaya tried her best. But finding the time and the space apart from Rose's watchful eyes... 

She'd needed help.

GA: I Need Some Help  
TG: !!!   
TG: well im happy to inform u its ur lucky day then  
TG: im pretty much a superhero ready and waiting to handle any and all crisises and situations  
TG: and crisis situations  
TG: whats the sitch  
TG: lay it on me  
GA: I Need You To Distract Rose For Me While I Fashion A Prop For A Nefarious Plot  
TG: u need me to what now  
GA: Distract Rose For Me Please  
TG: while you fashion a prop  
GA: Yes  
TG: for a nefarious plot????  
GA: Yes Exactly  
GA: How Did You Know  
TG: i got instincts n shit  
TG: how nefarious  
TG: shit what kind of prop are u joking right now   
TG: i want details  
GA: I Am Honestly Not Sure How Much Detail Is Appropriate  
GA: Given Our Respective Roles In Our Familial Structure As I Understand It  
TG: pfft  
GA: And Also Its Embarrassing And I Would Rather Be As Infuriatingly Vague As Possible  
TG: well  
TG: now I wanna know even more than before thanks a fuckin lot  
GA: Youre Welcome  
TG: how long do u need this distraction for?  
TG: btw u cant see it but im winking furiously at you rn in rapid succession  
TG: its insufferable and u hate it but also kinda like it because im cute as hell  
TG: and also ur mom in law so you gotta be nice even when im all up in your grill  
GA: That Winking  
GA: Positively Insufferable  
GA: But Also Cute As Hell  
GA: Im Paralyzed By The Conflict Raging Within  
TG: ;) ;) ;)   
GA: Also I Think I Need Basically As Much Time As You Can Give Me  
GA: This Is A Very Complex Project  
GA: It Might Take A Few Weeks  
TG: weeks??  
TG: hold the f up  
TG: u want me to keep rose busy for a few WEEKS????  
TG: kanaya  
GA: Well  
TG: u know i love you and would basically die for you  
GA: Please Dont  
TG: but if i try and keep rose busy for weeks shes gonna catch on that somethings up  
GA: I Didnt Mean A Few Weeks All At Once  
GA: Just  
GA: Cumulatively Over The Course Of A Longer Period Of Time  
GA: A Few Days Here And There That I Can Work In  
TG: hmmm  
TG: ok but listen  
GA: Im Listening  
TG: were gonna need to recruit help  
GA: Oh  
TG: make this a family project  
GA: It Really Is Not A Family Sort Of Project  
TG: lmFao  
TG: god i wanna know so bad!!!  
TG: ok ill be real subtle about it  
TG: dont you worry about a thing  
TG: ppl are gonna start needing favors from rose left and right   
TG: itll prolly be a little bit suspicious but fuck  
TG: that girl is smart as hell  
GA: Yes She Is  
TG: but well do our best for you <3  
GA: Thank You  
TG: ur welcome  
TG: n good luck ;)))  


True to her word, Roxy had kept Rose very busy, but Rose hadn't seemed to mind. If anything, the thing she'd seemed most put out about was that Kanaya kept begging off going with her to handle whatever made up crisis came next. This, Kanaya felt a bit guilty about, but she would tell herself it was all for a good cause. Roxy needed help at the lab, solving some sort of world altering science puzzle with Jade. Dirk needed an honest opinion on some musical endeavor Kanaya absolutely never wanted to hear. Dave needed someone to help him cheat at boardgames. Karkat needed to argue about the strengths and weaknesses of the four act narrative structure versus three -- a topic that seemed very dry to Kanaya, but that Rose waxed on passionately about at her about for another hour after returning. She tried to nod in all the right places.

Everyone had done their best, but still, she'd had to work quickly. Examine the source material. Take extensive notes. Find the fabric. Find some place to _store_ everything, some magical place where Rose wouldn't accidentally stumble upon it. She had a way of accidentally stumbling upon things she wasn't supposed to find. They were long past the game, now, but Kanaya was fairly sure they'd never be far enough past it for her to stop mumbling _damn light players_ under her breath when the situation warranted. (Often.) 

It took two weeks before Rose began to catch on. 

Kanaya could tell, because she stopped pressing so hard for Kanaya to join her. She'd started simply smirking at her while she dressed to go out, like she _knew._ And she did, even if she didn't have the specifics. 

But that was all right. 

It was the specifics, after all, that mattered. 

* 

Precisely ten minutes after Rose left the room, Kanaya opened the door and peered nervously into the hall. Then she remembered that she was under no circumstances allowed to be nervous, indecisive, unsure or otherwise mentally or physically weak in any way throughout the course of this evening, because she was a fucking vampire, damn it, and vampires had their shit together. She inhaled, deeply. Narrowed her eyes. Scanned the hall with a piercing gaze. She, too, had her shit together. Definitely. 

She stepped out into the hall, skirts swirling dramatically around her. Damn it, Rose probably hadn't seen that. Down the hall and into the sitting room, and -- there she was. 

She was just _sitting_ there. Except, she had moved the divan so that when she sat on it, her back was to the hall. Kanaya realized that she was wearing earbuds, purple cords dangling off from each ear. She wouldn't hear her approach. She had to have been keeping track of the time, but ... 

It was as good a set up as she could ask for, given the circumstances. She crept closer, surveying the situation. Rose had her feet propped up and a pillow at her back, and her slippered toes were moving in time to whatever music she'd put on to prepare herself for the encounter. And -- good god. Kanaya stopped in her tracks and swayed, slightly, as the scent of her favorite perfume hit her full-on. How was she supposed to concentrate in the face of that? 

No. A vampire was not swayed but such paltry devices. She had to be strong. 

Rose was wearing one of her fluffiest robes, pulled up high over her shoulders and tied around her waist, and her hair was damp. Kanaya had _thought_ she'd heard the water running. She was humming along with the music, blissfully unaware. It was time to strike. 

Before she could overthink it, or worse, lose her nerve completely, Kanaya licked her lips, bared her fangs, and bent over the back of the divan. Rose's throat was almost artfully exposed, her damp hair curling behind her ears, and Kanaya leaned in quickly and let her fangs scrape over the exposed surface -- not _quite_ hard enough to break the skin. It took remarkable restraint. Was she too in character?

No time to consider it, because then Rose _screamed._

It was a real scream, high and curdling and like no sound Kanaya could recall Rose ever having made, before. Even in the heat of battle, Rose's screams had been harsh and challenging, impressive roars of astonishing fury. _This_ sound made Kanaya gasp, reel back, and nearly stumble over the back side of her long, long skirts this time. Rose jumped up before Kanaya could collect herself, whirled around, and raised one arm theatrically over her forehead. The effect was sullied somewhat by the fact that bright purple earbuds still hung unceremoniously out of both her ears, and also by the fact that Kanaya's bloodpusher was still stuttering mightily at the _scream_. Kanaya just stared at her, eyes wide. 

"Sorry," she said, swallowing. "I didn't mean to actually _frighten_ you. I thought you knew that I would be coming. Are you all right?" 

Rose said nothing, and then opened her eyes, brow creasing. Then her face twisted in sudden realization, and she hastily popped her earbuds out and tossed them onto the divan. 

"Sorry," she muttered. "Okay." She straightened. Grinned. "Good _heavens,_ " she gasped, then, in an exaggerated human accent Kanaya had absolutely no context for. "You just about frightened me out of my wits, dear lady." 

Kanaya realized two things. First, Rose hadn't heard her stumbling attempts to apologize, which was a relief, because it was now obvious the scream had been part of the act. 

Second, she had no fucking idea what she was doing. She was just gaping at Rose, probably not looking very suave or impressive or intriguingly threatening at all. Rose's eyebrows climbed up her forehead, awaiting a response, and when Kanaya managed only a few gobsmacked, wordless noises, she tossed her hair and continued on. A merciful gesture, really. 

"Well, well," Rose continued, fluttering her eyelashes. "Did I frighten you, too? _Terribly_ sorry." She rolled her shoulders, smirking. "It's just that I don't meet many lovely ladies like yourself, especially at this hour. Won't you introduce yourself?" 

Yes. Okay. Kanaya recognized the sort of scene this was. Not exactly what she had imagined -- there had been less verbal parley in her vision, overall -- but she'd duffed up her forward plans and would have to make do with what Rose was offering, here. It was doable. Surely. She cleared her throat. 

"I'm... Kanaya," she said. 

Rose pressed her lips together, nostrils flaring, and Kanaya could tell she was trying hard, _very_ hard not to let whatever she was holding back out. 

She couldn't hold back an incredulous snort, though, and once that happened the floodgates broke open. Rose clapped her hands to her mouth, doubled over, and laughed. And laughed. And took a deep breath, held up a hand, shook her head, gasped "I'm so sorry," and laughed some more. 

Kanaya stood there, blushing furiously, wishing she had thought this through more. She had been so damn focused on the aesthetics of the scene she hadn't even chosen a _name_ for herself. Granted, she hadn't realized she was _meant_ to choose a new name, but clearly -- 

" _Miss_ Kanaya?" Rose said, finally, pulling Kanaya out of her thoughts. 

Ooh. She knew the answer to this one. " _Mistress_ , if you please," she said. Rose grinned. 

"Oho. Is that how it is, Mistress Kanaya?" 

"That is, in fact, how it is. I didn't," she thought for a second, and decided yes, Rose would like this, " -- I didn't come here for small talk, but you may introduce yourself if you must." 

Rose lifted her chin, her laughter evaporated. "I suppose not all beautiful women can be possessed of impeccable manners," she said. "You have the pleasure of speaking to Miss Scarlet Sinclair, and I am afraid you have thoroughly squandered it, _Mistress._ " She punctuated this with an aristocratic sniff. "Such a pity, but I must bid you farewell." She turned on her heel. There was, of course nowhere to go, seeing as though they were standing in their own sitting room, but Kanaya understood her role well enough to understand that she shouldn't be letting miss _Scarlet Sinclair_ go anywhere. 

She stepped quickly forward, and grabbed Rose's shoulder, spinning her back around. It was very easy. Rose moved with her, as though she'd anticipated the motion. She probably had. 

"I beg your pardon!" Rose protested, face scrunched into the very picture of disdain. Kanaya reminded herself that this was a game they were playing, and she was not actually annoyed. 

"Let me be clear," Kanaya said, thinking back to the way the Midnight Mistress in Rose's novels always spoke. "I will be the one doing the dismissing, tonight, and tonight is far from over." 

"If I didn't know better, I would say you were threatening my person... Mistress." 

"I think you know exactly what I'm here for," Kanaya said. Their faces were nearly touching. Rose's shoulder was very warm under her palm, skin exposed where her robe had slipped. 

"I'm sure I have no _idea_ what you mean..." 

So Kanaya kissed her. 

Rose indulged her, just for a moment. This was not very much at all like the books, actually, but so long as they were kissing Kanaya didn't mind. 

But Rose pulled away. She licked her lips. Shot a pointed look at Kanaya's hand on her shoulder. " _I_ am a virtuous woman, and you are hardly more than a stranger. Why should I allow myself to fall victim to your charms?" 

Kanaya thought about this. Rose tilted her head, again, impatient, lips twitching, threatening to smirk. 

"Uh. Well, Miss -- _Scarlet._ This is very much not about what you will or won't allow," she said, finally. Carefully, thinking about the book. This was actually difficult work, thinking of things to say that didn't just sound like... herself, Kanaya, saying things. 

"Are you suggesting that you will force yourself upon me, like some common brute? Unhand me at once." 

"Hmm. No, I don't think so." 

"How dare you!" 

Kanaya dipped in again, this time going for her neck. She pressed a long, wet kiss into the joint between throat and shoulder, and Rose leaned into it despite herself, a little surprised noise escaping her. Kanaya wasn't sure if that was part of the act, or not. 

"You will come with me," Kanaya said, matter of factly against her skin. 

"If I leave with you now, I fear I shall never return." 

"You may never be the same after," Kanaya agreed. Rose let out another little huff, and this _could_ have been amusement, but also could have been something else. Kanaya hoped it was something else. This was not really supposed to be a _funny_ sort of performance. 

"How mysterious." 

Kanaya nodded, once, and then pulled herself away from Rose's throat and stood straight. She wasn't very good with words, and so the only thing for it was to progress this scenario past the point where they were needed. She bent over, slipped one arm behind Rose's knees, and lifted her human bridal style into the air. Rose gasped, clinging to her. 

"Where are you taking me?" she demanded, kicking her feet. Kanaya grinned. 

"To my lair, of course," she said, and she spun around back toward the hall. 

* 

"Kanaya," Rose had said to her, one day, sitting at the kitchen table with her phone in one hand. 

"Rose," she'd said, blinking innocently. 

"Not that it hasn't been very ego boosting, suddenly being in such _demand,_ " she waved her phone in the air, "but I have to ask. Is this going to go on for very much longer?" 

"I -- Well. How would I know the answer to that?" Kanaya had said, fidgeting in place. 

"Hmm," Rose said.

"I mean." 

"You mean...?" 

"I doubt it can carry on at this pace... much longer." 

"I see." 

Neither of them said anything for a moment. Rose just looked at her, and Kanaya stood frozen in place across the room. Roxy had given them a wall clock on some Perigee's Eve or another, a sleek black apparatus that ticked incessantly, its little cat-tail shaped pendulum swinging mechanically back and forth. Tick tick tick tick. Kanaya swallowed hard. 

"Let's give it another week or two, maybe?" 

The tension broke, mercifully, flowing out of the room like a physical thing. It was easier to breathe, which Kanaya was grateful for.

"I could probably survive that," Rose said, tapping her chin. "And then, after this week or two, I expect all of my hard work will be rewarded, of course." 

"Well. Yes. I hope so," Kanaya said, with just a touch of nerves. Rose squinted at her. 

"I hope you know it's taking every ounce of my self restraint not to press." 

"And I appreciate that." 

Another little dip of silence, while Rose considered this response. 

"It's very strange, and maybe a little pathetic, but I miss you," she said, finally. "I see you every day, we _live_ together, obviously, but I've felt disconnected from you, lately, and it makes me nervous." 

Oh.

Kanaya felt very warm, suddenly. 

"Nervous?" She sounded faint. 

Rose didn't reply. Her gaze slid away from Kanaya's face and onto the table, studying the flat face of her phone, instead. She shrugged. "Maybe more than a little pathetic?" 

"It's not pathetic." Kanaya moved in closer, second guessing everything. Should she call off the whole thing? She hadn't expected preparations to take this long. This was so stupid. Silly. She felt nowhere near ready. She missed Rose, too. She cleared her throat. Rose shuffled in her seat. "I have an idea," Kanaya said, finally. 

"Oh?" 

"Take today off. Tell whoever is bothering you today that you are busy, and we'll... do something." 

"Ah. _Something,_ " Rose said, and she sounded much more herself, teasing and almost too egocentric for her own good. Kanaya wanted to sigh with relief. "Well, far be it from me to turn down the prospect of _something._ " 

"We can read more of your vampire books," Kanaya blurted. Rose blinked at her. It would really be an excellent way to do more research, while also not pawning her wife off on her exhausting family all day long. She didn't know why it had taken her until now to think of it. 

"I had no idea you were enjoying them _quite_ so much," Rose said, and she was smirking, now, which was good. 

"You like the idea, then?" 

"Absolutely. It's a date," she'd said, and then her phone had buzzed again in her hand, insistently. She'd grimaced, shrugged, and powered the device entirely off. "They'll survive." 

"Probably," Kanaya added, and Rose had laughed at the sliver of doubt obvious in the addition. 

* 

Rose fought her all the way back to the room. 

Sort of. She wasn't _really_ fighting, of course. More just kicking her legs and making demands like _put me down this instant, you rapscallious brute!_ One slipper flew off and into the ablution block as Kanaya carried her by. It was supposed to make her feel powerful and daring and dangerous, but honestly, it was really more just funny than anything else. What the fuck were they doing? 

She was definitely not vampire material. 

Still. She said it to herself in Rose's voice: _The show must go on._ She dropped her wife onto the bed they shared. 

Rose immediately tried to scramble off of it. 

"Oh no," Kanaya said, moving to block her. She did at least have that going for her -- she could be very fast when she wanted to be. "I don't think so, Rose." 

"Scarlet," Rose corrected her, rolling in the other direction. 

"Shit," Kanaya muttered. "Right." The tie on Rose's robe was loosening quite dangerously, and by what glimpses she had managed to catch so far, Kanaya suspected she wasn't wearing anything beneath it. _That_ was far more affecting than any of this silly roleplaying they'd done so far, and so she let herself really think about that for a second. 

But with Rose, even just a second's distraction was much too long. She shook free of Kanaya's grasp and swung her legs off the bed, and then darted for the door as though she honestly meant to run back down the hall, if Kanaya didn't catch her. She probably actually did. Kanaya let out a little growl, only half playing, and bounced up after her. She caught Rose by the arm just in time, pulled her bodily back against her, and used her other hand to yank the already loose knot around her middle completely free. Rose whirled around with a gasp. Kanaya supposed _some_ of the scandal in it must have been more acting, but it was gratifying all the same. 

"Beast," Rose admonished her, but she couldn't quite make it sound accusatory; instead, she mostly just sounded impressed. Kanaya grinned at her, baring her fangs. Rose gasped again. " _Vampire!_ " 

"Exactly that," Kanaya agreed, and then slipped her other arm around Rose's back, pulled her in so their bodies pressed close, and kissed her. Rose let her have this without too much trouble, but halfway through this blissful action Rose pulled her face away, blinked up at her, and squished her brows together. 

She leaned in and whispered in her ear. "Scarlet wouldn't mind a little rough handling," she confided, and then she slipped back into character, eyes widening with pretended fright. "Mistress Maryam, please! You mustn't drain me dry. I swear, I can be useful!" 

Aha! Kanaya grinned at her. It was gratifying to know that she wasn't the only one who found it difficult to remember what her character did and didn't know. "I never told you my --" 

" _Kanaya,_ " Rose interrupted, laughing. "It sounds better! Just go with it!" 

"Oh. _Oh._ Well. If you insist." Kanaya blinked at her. Her body was very distracting, half exposed this way. "Where were we?" 

Rose dropped her voice into a conspiratory whisper, again. "You were just about to demand that Miss Scarlet prove her usefulness to you, lest you drain her life's blood in its entirety, and leave her an undead, ghoulish husk." 

"Right. Of course." 

Rose lifted her eyebrows. Kanaya cleared her throat. 

"You say you can be useful," Kanaya said, flinging the words out as disdainfully as she could manage. Which probably wasn't very, but she was doing her best. "So far all I've seen is you being very difficult. So." 

"So," Rose blinked up at her, breathing hard -- purposely. Distractingly. 

"Show me that you can be useful," Kanaya demanded. "I think it would be best if you started like this." She moved her hands over Rose's smooth shoulders, and in one motion, slipped the robe off her. It dropped to the floor in a neat fluffy pool at their feet.

And even now, after so long, the sight of Rose fully exposed before her was deeply affecting. She was always beautiful, but this was special. This aspect of Rose's beauty was for Kanaya and Kanaya alone, and that made it even better. Rose gave her a moment to stare, and then lifted her chin, crossed her arms over her chest, and did her best pout. 

"You have me at a disadvantage, Mistress Maryam," Rose said. 

"Talking doesn't strike me as the most useful thing you could be doing, right now," Kanaya said. Rose snorted, and Kanaya raised her brows as though to say, _well, you asked for this?_

"What would the Mistress most like me to do?" Rose said, turning it around on her, as she so often did. Kanaya thought about it. 

"Kiss me," she decided. Rose smirked, and forced her lips back to a trembling pout, with effort. She stepped forward without protest and did as asked, wrapping her arms around Kanaya's neck, pressing her breasts against the warm brocaded bodice of her silly overwrought costume, and kissed her long and deep. Kanaya shut her eyes and focused everything on that, for awhile. Rose was a _very_ good kisser. Kanaya slid her fingers over and around Rose's sides. Traced them up her back, then down again. Rested them on the curve of her waist, then gripped her hips, hard, and pushed her back against the doorframe. 

She had said Miss Scarlet wouldn't mind a little bit of handling. And so. 

Kanaya lifted a knee and pressed it between Rose's legs, ruffled skirts and all, and simultaneously, she lifted a hand and took a generous handful of Rose's soft human hair tight between her fingers. Rose made a very gratifying sound, her hips pressed in and down, and she lifted her face away from Kanaya's to whisper, "Will Mistress Maryam be terribly put out if I tear this dress?" 

"Is that Miss Scarlet asking, or you?" She couldn't resist teasing. Rose fluttered her eyelashes. 

"Let's say both," she decided. 

"It's really more of a costume," Kanaya said. "And I've already torn it once. It's really beyond saving." 

"Oh, good," Rose said, and then she looped her fingers into the lacey, low-cut bodice of the vampire dress and _yanked._

The fabric was thin and hardly meant to stand up to such delicious abuse, and so it tore easily, with a very satisfying sound. Rose filled her hands with the flesh that spilled out after it, pushing her way past linen and lace to circle her thumbs over the sensitive tips. It was Kanaya's turn to make a satisfied sound, a breathy sigh. She hitched her skirts up over her legs, so the bare flesh of her knee could press into the heat between Rose's legs, and was rewarded with the sensation of Rose moving herself over that pressure, swaying against her. 

"Fuck," Rose muttered, softly.

"This is all very convincing," Kanaya managed, voice only slightly uneven, "but I think there is more Miss Scarlet could probably do." 

"Miss Scarlet is all ears, I assure you," Rose panted. Kanaya pulled her head back by her hair and sucked a dark spot into the hollow of Rose's exposed throat. Rose shivered against her. "Tell us." 

Kanaya pulled her off the wall, spun her around, and shoved her at the bed. She could have resisted it, of course, but this time Rose let herself be handled, collapsing backward onto the bed with a laugh that was not at all in character. Kanaya wasn't sure if they were even actually roleplaying, anymore. Had they ever been, really? "I want you to do something for me," Kanaya said, and she was already blushing. Rose enjoyed this particular activity, true, but asking never _really_ stopped being embarrassing. 

"How very vague," Rose admonished her, lifting her head to watch her approach. Kanaya climbed onto the bed and over her, lifting her skirts and spreading them very dramatically around them. Rose sighed, letting her head drop back against the platform. Kanaya shimmied up her body on her knees, until she was practically sitting on her chest, and raised her eyebrows. Rose looked up her, and then she licked her lips. "I assume what you have in mind involves something under those lovely skirts." 

"You, specifically," Kanaya admitted. Rose grinned up at her, rolled her eyes, and then flipped up the ruffled hem to snake her hands under them and up along the outside of Kanaya's hips, circling around to rest on her ass. 

"Don't have too much fun," Rose teased her, and then she pulled Kanaya forward and disappeared beneath the waves of black and crimson. Kanaya shifted on her knees, squeezing her eyes shut. Rose left wet kisses on her thighs, working her way down with singular intent. To tell the truth, the spots she left behind were hardly the wettest thing down there, but Rose never seemed to mind. Her fingers made short work of Kanaya's underthings, pulling them aside, and -- _god._

Rose was very, very good with her tongue. Kanaya shuddered over her, resisting the urge to grind down -- well, too grind down too hard, at least -- and moaned very un-vampire-like encouragements. Which only seemed fair. Rose was acting very un-Scarlet-like too, after all. The couplings in Rose's books were never like this, with both parties so eager and willing. At least, not at first. This was just Rose, her and Rose doing her and Rose things, and -- " _Rose_ ," she gasped, as her tongue teased the swollen edges of her nook and then pressed in, deep and glorious and utterly without warning. She felt Rose's chuckle as a delicious vibration all through her. Her stomach fluttered, her back tensed, and she could feel her bulge rousing to full attention, shivering within its wet walls, tentatively uncurling. The tip of it found Rose's tongue, and Kanaya leaned back, gripping the sheets tight her fists as they tangled together. 

Oh, yes. The sounds she was making were _very_ un-vampireish. They were desperate, panting, encouraging, and her skin was flickering, lighting from within, quite beyond her control. Her concentration was all focused on the lovely things Rose was doing beneath her skirts. This was heaven, she was quite sure. She might have said so out loud. Several times, maybe. Rose apparently found it very amusing, but that was all right; every time Rose laughed at her, it sent delicious vibrations through parts of her that very much appreciated the sensation. 

By the time Rose pulled herself away, the skirts and Kanaya's underthings were both lost causes. Especially after Rose wiped her face not so stealthily on the underside of a fistful of crimson taffeta. Kanaya didn't bother moving; she simply lay there, breathing, while Rose laughed and gave her thigh an insistent slap. Kanaya groaned as she lifted herself, her entire middle a writhing mess of heat and need. In some ways, quite literally. 

"Has Miss Scarlet adequately proven her usefulness to you?" Rose asked, all coy sweetness. Kanaya exhaled through her nose, shaking her head. 

"Miss Scarlet has proved herself very nearly as useful as Rose Lalonde," she said. "Which, I should add, is no small feat." 

"Only _nearly!_ " Rose pretended affront. 

"Well. There's only room in this world for one Rose, I hope." 

" _Mistress_ Kanaya," Rose sighed. 

"Yes?" 

"I need you to go ahead and utterly devastate me now, please and thank you." 

"Oh." Kanaya blinked. "Yes. Obviously." She surveyed the situation. "I think the costume has worn out its usefulness," she said. 

"Shall I dispose of it for you?" 

"A vampire would never allow her prey to disrobe her," Kanaya mused. 

"A fair point." 

"Though, I think it's fair to point out that Mistress Maryam is not a very good vampire." 

"On the contrary. She is simply not a _traditional_ sort. Important distinction." 

Kanaya smiled down at her. "Was she to your liking, at least?" 

"Yes... but only if she sticks the landing," Rose said, arching both eyebrows. Kanaya grinned despite herself, preening a bit in her ridiculous nest of torn and otherwise defiled skirts. 

"Let's see," she said. Rose's impatient work on the torn bodice had loosened the thing enough to wriggle out of on her own, but when Rose leaned forward to help she could hardly protest. Together they lifted the thing up and over her head, and Kanaya tossed it aside. A little pang went through her. Weeks of work! But it was worth it. Rose's fingers moved down Kanaya's neck, shoulders, arms, and her eyes swept over her. She let out an appreciative little hum. 

"Let's see, indeed," she murmured. Kanaya pulled her in close, settling Rose into her lap, and went to work pressing wet kisses into the dark spots that already colored her neck. Simultaneously, she reached down and coaxed her bulge forward, so that Rose could press her open folds against its wet, wriggling length however she pleased. Rose's legs wrapped around her waist, and she ground against her there, slow and sweet and rhythmic. She was so beautiful. Always, but _this_ sort of beauty, the sort that came from closed eyes and gasped oaths and wet warmth smearing on their thighs while they moved together, faster, _faster..._

It was perfect. 

Kanaya left little love bites up the side of her neck and latched onto her earlobe, nibbling, and it took all of her restraint not to bite in truth. A little bit vampiric after all, maybe. Her flickering glow steadied and grew brighter the closer she came to her crest. Rose grabbed her hair and horns roughly in her hands and bucked her hips against her writhing bulge, her gasps growing shorter, more ragged, until she finally slid one hand down her own body and added her fingers to the display. Kanaya moved with her, encouraged her, and when Rose's gasps became a high, exultant cry, the sweet flood of heat only heightened Kanaya's own pleasure. Rose pressed heavily against her, murmuring, hips stuttering, suddenly unable to bear the full sensation. 

Kanaya tipped her over onto her back, pressed down against her heat, and worked herself against her overstimulated body. Rose cried out, jerking beneath her, wiggling her hips to no avail. Kanaya gave her absolutely no quarter, increasingly lost in her own building pleasure. "Yes, Kanaya, _oh_ , God," Rose moaned, and Kanaya put her hands on either side of her beautiful face and rolled her hips against her, again, harder, _again._ " _Fuck,_ " Rose panted, and this became a litany, _fuck_ and _God_ and _oh my fucking god!_

It was too much. It was just enough. It was a glorious feeling, a sweet relief, a rush of pleasure as the pressure that had been building for what felt like hours released at last. Her material soaked them both and the bed beneath, painting their thighs, the rush of it enough that a trickle of it welled and ran a jade track over Rose's stomach and down around the curve of her hip. Kanaya was sure she'd said something, shouted something, but it was a blurry mess inside her head and she could hardly think. It was so _much._ She slumped forward, and Rose caught her. 

And Kanaya let out a little, helpless laugh. 

"What," Rose demanded, brushing sweaty strands of hair out of her face, "could possibly be funny, right now?" 

"I am a _terrible_ vampire," Kanaya announced, cradled there bonelessly by her wife, the soft glow that had peaked at her climax flickering back down into a shimmery, barely-there glimmer. Rose smiled down at her, patting her cheek. 

"But you are an absolutely _perfect_ rainbow drinker," she said. 

Kanaya sighed contentedly, wiggling closer. They adjusted themselves so that Kanaya could pillow herself atop Rose, and Rose could pillow herself atop the actual pillows, and they simply lay there for a bit, fingers tangling in each other's hair. 

"I think I would still like to read more of those books," Kanaya decided, after awhile of this. 

"I have no objections." 

"Maybe with more research, I'll do better, next time." 

"Ah. So there's to be a next time, then?" 

Kanaya craned her neck up to search Rose's face. She looked... bemused. Well. No surprise there. 

"Would you like that?" 

Rose made a show of thinking about it, pursing her lips and wrinkling her brow, eyes tracing the ceiling as she ran through her thoughts. "I think I would," she said, finally. "If." 

"...If?" 

"If I don't have to endure another month of incessant neediness from the rest of my friends and family, to provide you time to make another ensemble." 

Kanaya laughed. "It wouldn't be much of a secret, now. So, yes. That's reasonable." 

"Perhaps a bit more formal preparation, next time?" 

"This would be the... scenario rehearsal. You mentioned it, I think." 

Rose let out a huff at her wary tone. "I don't intend to write out a full _script_ , mind you." 

"Oh, thank God." 

"Just a few hooks, maybe. Establish some details. Things like, I don't know... _names?_ " Rose bumped the top of her head with her chin, teasing. 

"Mistress Maryam is a fairly good vampire name, you have to admit." 

"Yes, but we can do _better._ " 

"I guess," Kanaya relinquished, hesitantly. Rose grabbed a pillow and didn't quite hit her with it. More just bumped it admonishingly against the side of her face. 

"Not the most enthusiastic response I could have hoped for," Rose said. 

"I'm a little nervous. You may have noticed, but role playing is probably not my strongest suit." 

"You were lovely," Rose sighed. "And, I don't believe I said this, so please allow me to do so. Thank you for indulging me." 

"Oh. Hmm. You're welcome," Kanaya said, somehow managing to blush again. "I'm glad you enjoyed it." 

"We don't _have_ to do it again, Kanaya." 

"I like making you happy." 

"I like making you _comfortable._ " 

Kanaya pressed her face into Rose's throat and hummed. "Next time, I promise I'll do more ravishing." 

" _Oh,_ " Rose said, and it was always a singular sort of pleasure, genuinely shocking Rose Lalonde. Kanaya grinned against her skin. "Well. That would be -- very good." 

"I will ravish you _thoroughly_ ," Kanaya decided, there and then.

"However you like," Rose agreed, and Kanaya swore her voice was sounding a little... strained.

"Whatever I want," Kanaya nodded. "Well. I'll want at least _some_ of the same things, if that's all right." 

"God," Rose laughed, and yes, she was _definitely_ sounding affected. "Kanaya. I know for a fact that it takes you longer than this to recover yourself, so you had better be careful..." 

"Who said anything about me?" Kanaya looked up and gave her a -- hopefully -- challenging look. 

Rose met her gaze for roughly one second, then looked away, pretty pink spots blooming on her cheeks. "Well," she said, already breathless, again, good, "If you insist." 

"I do insist," Kanaya said. "It's good practice." And that, of course, was a joke -- but the kiss she delivered immediately after was searing and very, _very_ serious.

**Author's Note:**

> Find me on Tumblr [@landofsomethingsomething!](http://landofsomethingsomething.tumblr.com)


End file.
